Till Death Do Us Part
by Madman007
Summary: Set approximately a year and a half before the events of Serenity the TV pilot. The wedding of Zoe and Wash didn't go without hitches.
1. Chapter 1: A Slight Diversion

**Till Death Do Us Part**

**Chapter One : A Slight Diversion**

The bullet whizzed by Mal Reynold's cheek and missed it by mere millimeters. He swerved to avoid the hit and his momentum of his follow through forced him to face in the opposite direction of the gunfight. As Mal quickly turned back towards the action and raised his trusty pistol to fire at the source of the shot that almost sent him into permanent sleep, he shouted within range of two of his crew mates, "How in the _gorram_ hell do we get in these messes?"

Crouching behind a storage crate for cover and also doing her part in joining the firearm fight was Mal's wartime partner and loyal soldier, Zoe Alleyne. In between shots, she gave her answer to Mal's rhetoric question that held that same serious tone but was meant to be sarcastic.

"Pure talent, sir"

His other crew mate who was present and also involved with covering fire was Jayne Cobb, the criminal who almost shanghai-ed them into taking _Serenity_ if it weren't for pure charm and wit Mal managed to use for luring Jayne into a spot on his own crew. After firing a shot from his shotgun, Jayne turned to Mal and shouted his thoughts. "I told you, Mal, these warriors on Three Rivers can't be trusted!"

Mal had to suppress a grimace at the fact that he was getting advice on who not to trust from someone who he would never trust farther than he could throw cow dung. The funny thing was that the guns they were being shot at with were the very same guns his crew had smuggled into Three Rivers from Beaumonde and had received payment for just hours before. Mal thought it would be simple to hand the freedom fighters their guns they fussed over to get, take their coin, and fly off and skedaddle into the black.

Oh, but do things go smoothly with his crew? Almost never. And they had a serious life-changing event to be held at week's end. They had a lot to think about. Now they were in yet another firefight that seemed doomed from the beginning. The Three River's so-called freedom fighters saw fit to exclude the fact from Mal that they aimed to use the firearms they smuggled in as a trade to the very planet's government they were fighting against for food and security. Double-crossed by the double-crossers. And Mal and his crew fell snugly into the ruse.

Soon before Mal and crew began the trek back to _Serenity_, they were ambushed by the government's version of their military. They were pros, Mal would give them that. They had pinned his crew down in a corner full of storage crates. At least it was good for cover.

Zoe had managed to quip between shots, "I thought we were over these kind of situations four years ago"

"What kind?" Mal had to ask.

"The hopeless ones."

Mal was getting tired of trading shots with these men and he reached into his pocket with his free hand and fetched the comm. He flipped then switch in hopes to reach his pilot, Wash. Nothing but static. "Zoe, can you reach Wash?"

After another shot, Zoe reached for her comm. Static. "No go, sir. Think they might have a magnetic isotope field in use."

"What, they're jamming the signal?"

"Looks like."

"_Tzao g_ao. And here I thought it couldn't be stopped," Jayne added.

"Well...it's still there...just sussed up a bit," Mal retracted. "These ain't amateurs, for sure. How far away did we park?"

"Nothing short of a hundred clicks, sir. Just like you asked."

"Oh, I know your not startin' no blame placin'."

"Wouldn't think of it, sir."

After a few more rounds, Mal started to notice their beginning to have a lack of munitions. This had to end. "I'm open to all sorts of ideas out of this."

Zoe shouted, "Did we bring the harpoon gun?"

Jayne replied, "Oh, yeah, I'm just gonna love me some Commando-Ka-Bob."

"Not what I wanted it for." Zoe took a moment to take herself out of the fight and turned to their supplies to hunt for the gun. She found it and she proceeded to reach the end of the harpoon.

"What in shiny hell are you doing?" Mal demanded to know.

"Only way we can signal Wash. We know he's watching. He just doesn't know where we are."

"We don't have no flares, you know," Jayne decided to supply.

"Don't need 'em. Using something he'll recognize." She reached around her neck for her red sash and started to tie it to the harpoon.

Mal saw what she was doing and went wide-eyed. "Your lucky sash? You've had that..."

"Since before the war. Time to put it to good use." She finished tying the sash to the harpoon and then moved to the left side of their small temporary fortress. "Cover me!"

Mal and Jayne started suppressing cover fire so Zoe could get the shot off. Zoe angled the gun toward the Northeast where Wash would be watching intently. "C'mon, baby, _see _this," she whispered to herself. "I want that change to my name this weekend."

Hoban Washburn had been sitting at the controls at the cockpit of _Serenity_ watching in front of him through the main port's window the complex three of the crew had gone to trade guns for coin. He had been waiting anxiously for Mal, Jayne, and especially his fiancé to get back to the ship and high-tail it off this desolate world. It wasn't like Wash had any say in where they went. He was just in charge of getting them there as quick as safe as he could. Three Rivers was nothing but desert and civilizations constantly at war with their own government. Thankfully, that government had no affiliation with the Alliance out here. The civil wars on this planet made it even too hard for the Alliance to negotiate.

He had stared at the complex in front of him to the Southwest for a few hours now and no sign of the crew. He grew even more worried when he tried his comm to Mal and all he got was static. He tried Zoe's and got the same. He didn't even try hailing Jayne. He knew Mal would never give that man a comm unit. He instead hailed Kaylee in the engine room.

"Kaylee."

The young girl's sweet and uppity voice came on the ship's comm. "What's up, Wash?"

"Just testing our comm here. I can't reach Mal or Zoe."

"Maybe they're too busy. Don't worry. They'll call."

Sometimes that girl was almost too positive. He picked up the binos and searched in the general direction of the complex. "It's been an hour past the rendevous time. Wait...oh _dung ee-miao_, I see gunfire."

"Gunfire?" yelped Kaylee. "Well, can you see them?"

"Well, we are several yards away, I don't see _that_ well. I don't know their position."

He heard her curse in Chinese and then ask, "What's making the static on the comm?"

"Don't know. But, if we can talk here, it's gotta be something at their end."

"Like what?"

"Interference of some kind. I'm thinking an isotope field...something magnetic. That has a pretty good range but if we can get closer to them I may be able to break through under the Nav comm frequency. What do you say to crashing their party?"

"Are you sure they ain't captured?"

"From the looks of things from here I can still see signs of gunfire. They may be pinned down. Get ready for primary burners."

"Well, I can't start too cold. I was just working on the line thruster adapters and they don't do well in a quick pinch."

Wash shook his head and asked pointedly, "Still haven't mentioned the compression coils to Mal yet, have you?"

"I'll get around to it. We've had a mindful of things lately. No money, a heist on Beaumonde to smuggle guns, and, oh yeah, I do believe we were busy planning someone's wedding."

Wash had to smile at the last bit. Nothing could take him down from the high he had been on since he heard the words, "yes' from Zoe. Well, nothing except the idea of not having her at the wedding. "Yeah, in that plan, I would like for there to be a bride. Are you ready?"

"Ok. Let's pray for no burnout."

"I'm feeling lucky this week, Kaylee."

At that moment, he saw something being ejected into the sky toward their direction. He turned around back of him and reached for his binos and looked closer. A small harpoon was flying on an arced trajectory with some kind of cloth flapping majestically in the wind. He focused closer on the cloth and cursed in Chinese. He followed the path of the harpoon backward to where it would have been shot from and found a stack of storage crates. He stayed on the crates a moment and then he saw a glimpse of an ancient pistol that could only belong to his Captain firing out at a target. "Kaylee! I found them! Get those burners going now!"

Her answer didn't come in verbal form. Instead it was answered by the shuddering of the extenders and soon _Serenity_ was lifted high and heading to the rescue. As they approached the scene, he could see that Mal, Jayne, and Zoe were caught behind the crates with several military type soldiers bearing down on them. He tried the comm unit again and the signal still was full of static. He switched over to the Nav comm and adjusted dials for different frequencies, knowing he would have to reset them before they set another course. He kept using the comm in hopes of getting a closer wave to Mal. Finally, he found one.

"Mal! Can you hear me?"

"...Wash...glad...join us...what...outta here..."

"Hold on, Mal! I'm going to try to hover and distract them." He switched to the ships comm and yelled, "Kaylee, I'm going to point those extenders just so to give those army guys some backlash? Can we ease on the power coils a bit?"

"You mean so we don't fry them?"

"Yeah, I just need a distraction. Keep it at a level where we can still hover but give 'em some heat."

"Yessir! Here goes." A moment passed and Kaylee announced, "There ya go."

A screech came on the comm and he could hear Mal's broken voice. "That's...way...scatter 'em...how's about...front door...should...knock first..."

Wash got the meaning and he yelled back at Kaylee, "Open up the hatch, they're coming in!"

Soon he could hear the rumble of the ships main hatch opening and he could see Mal and Jayne jump over the crates still firing and they disappeared from the port view. He could see no sign of his future wife and he strained to look over the window to see below but the view was too obscured. He waited for the all clear and soon he thought it was taking too long. "Hey! Are we all in?"

A slight pause and it was Kaylee who finally got on to say, "Ok, Wash, we're all here. Take us out."

A small bout of strangeness came over at him over the fact that Kaylee gave the order and not Mal. Plus, Kaylee didn't seem to be talking in her glass-half-full manner. He went ahead and adjusted the extenders and rocketed out of the area towards even more desolate area. He wanted to land somewhere in a place that was not going to send a message to those commandos that said "Here we are!" It took him a few minutes of looking but finally found a mesh of trees and bushes within a valley that would be perfect for temporary cover. He started the landing systems and eased the Firefly down. He shut off the main engines but kept it warm in case of another quick exit. He unstrapped himself quickly and launched himself toward the hangar to see his dear Zoe safe.

As he peered over the edge of the railing to the bay, his hopes disappeared.

He saw that Mal was on the ground kneeling over while Jayne stood the side watching the scene before him. Kaylee didn't enter the view until she came with what appeared to be gauze. That only left one more to be counted for and she was lying on the floor of the bay with Mal leaning over.

"MAL! Mal! _Wuh de ma. _What happened?" He shot down the staircase faster than he could spit and he frantically joined the group. He saw that Mal was busy attending to a wound to his fiancé's abdomen. Blood was dripping from a place under her chest and over onto the grating of the floor.

"Mal! Talk to me! What happened."

"I'm sure the proof of it is in front of your own eyes. Zoe got shot as she jumped over the crates. Nice piece aimin' the thrusters toward 'em, but a few were to the side and had a better angle."

"Never mind that. How bad is it?"

"Hit her under her ribs. Maybe got her spleen. Shot itself don't look fatal, but she's losing blood. I'm putting all the gauze we got but it ain't gonna last." Mal finally got up from his knelt position and looked in the eyes of a worried soon-to-be groom. "She's gonna need a doctor."

"Oh. Ok. Doctor!" He pretended to call upon one from inside the ship. "Oh, wait I forgot, we don't _have_ one!"

Mal tried to put some calm behind his voice and plainly ask, "Where's the next settlement?"

"Mal, the closest planet is Ezra and that's a week and a half of flying. This ain't a planet to asking for neighbor's sugar, Mal."

"Didn't ask planet. Said settlement. Here. On Three Rivers."

Jayne put in, "You mean a place where they ain't fightin'?"

"Don't you start too, Jayne," Wash snapped. "Can't take your _gorram_ quips now."

"Wasn't gonna. Gonna say Arcadia."

Mal looked at Jayne. "On the other side of Carter region? Independent territory? No wars there?"

Jayne answered, "Not today. Way I heard, the land there ain't fertile and government don't see it as a first thought. They have settlement there though."

"Uh huh," Mal nodded. "Not enough coin to swindle into taking, eh?"

"Something like that." Jayne had stopped trying to hide the fact that he had checked out most areas in the 'Verse for prospects in thievery. He had done all the research while he was on his previous crew. Mal Reynolds seemed to have a sixth, seventh, and eighth sense about things.

Wash shouted suddenly, "Hey! Can we please get off potential work and focus on Zoe?" He turned to Jayne and asked, "Do they have a doctor there?"

"Suppose they do. Better than anyone here, I can tell ya."

Wash ignored the remark and asked what direction and how far. Jayne told him and Wash took off like a jack rabbit and they were soon off again.

Jayne looked in the direction of the cockpit and quipped, "He sure can motor when he wants to."

Kaylee, as always, came to anyone's defense. "His fiance's been shot, Jayne."

"Ain't my fiancé."

Mal stopped the quibbling to say, "All right, enough. Jayne, you get the stretcher and Kaylee will help ya to get Zoe into infirmary. Be careful of the gauze. Kaylee, once he's got her snug and still-like, you keep applying pressure on that gauze. Zoe don't be needin' any more blood spilling between here and Arcadia."

"Where you going?" Jayne demanded.

"I'm gonna go see to our distressed pilot and groom. Make sure he don't get so fussed as to run us into the ground."

"_Wuh de tyen, ah_, the wedding!" Kaylee yelped. "What are we gonna do? Inara's already waiting–"

Mal cut her off. "We'll worry about that when the time comes. Right now, I want to make sure I got a second in command."

As Mal went up the stairs, Jayne asked, "So, that second in command thing–"

"Don't even think it, Jayne," Mal remarked while still heading up.


	2. Chapter 2: Recovery

**Chapter Two: Recovery**

Normally, the journey time to Arcadia would have been an hour. Thanks to Wash, that time was shaved to a precious forty minutes. Mal suspected that even if the commandos had any ideas of chasing them, they would have been eating a fine mix of dust and exhaust by now.

Arcadia had all the earmarks of being a distant cousin to Haven. Three Rivers was made up of dry land but Arcadia was nearest its equator which made the land and air dry with considerable humidity. It was something when even Three River's government ignored you. As with Haven, Arcadia relied on mining ore and water as their income. Also like Haven, it was a place where new names were forgotten and old names were never remembered.

Once Wash found a clearing to land nearby the settlement, they hurried the still unconscious Zoe on her stretcher to find the nearest doctor. A young boy passerby led them to a small shack of an office and introduced them to an older gentleman. Very tall, white-gray hair, and a face that was hardened by weather but softened by life. Even his voice was soothing.

"What do we have here?"

Mal explained what had happened, just not how it happened. Mal found it was far easier and safer not letting unknowns to have an inkling to their criminal tendencies. The tall doctor calmly delegated duties to the new crew so to help Zoe switched to the doctor's medical room behind him. Once Zoe was at the mercy of the new doctor, the old man started examining her wound and checked her vitals. He then hooked her up to an I.V. and then looked over at the young boy who was watching along with the crew of _Serenity_.

"Go fetch your sister, Caleb. I think she may be needed."

Young Caleb flew off like a bullet. The old doctor addressed Mal who he had already established as the leader of this group. "She's lost a lot of blood. We have to get that stopped before we can get into the wound and take the bullet out. She's gonna need surgery. You administered the gauze?"

Mal answered, "Yes. It was all we had."

"Well, it may have saved her life. I don't have much in the way of professional facilities here, but I make do."

Wash grew impatient. "What does that mean? Can't you fix her?" He turned back to Mal and cried, "Think we came to the wrong place?"

Mal turned to his pilot. "The doc's going to do what he can, just as he says. If we had taken her anywhere else, she would have died."

The doctor addressed Wash. "He's right, son. I apologize if my sense of humor gave you the wrong impression." He paused and stated, "This woman is special to you."

Mal was impressed how the doctor bled some of his calm demeanor into Wash and worked. Wash replied, "Yes. She's my fiancé."

The doctor took his arm and patted Wash on the shoulder and said reassuringly, "I'll take good care of her." He looked at the rest of the crew and noted, "Well, you're all welcome to stay in the other room, but as you can see this ain't exactly comfy with four people. I suggest using Carson's next door as a waiting room. They got drinks and food."

"You sure we ain't trespassing?" Mal asked.

"Oh, heavens no. You're all welcome. Least we can do while we fix up your mate."

"How long will this take," Wash asked impatiently.

"I suspect a few hours if Fiona can get here quick enough."

"Fiona?" Kaylee questioned.

Mal supplied the answer. "Caleb's sister. She's your nurse?"

"That she is. And a fine one at that. Now you folks go along and get you some grub and drink."

"I may need more drink," Wash admitted.

His remark was a comfort to Mal because it meant his pilot's humor was starting to return. As it was, only Kaylee went back to _Serenity_. She would always burn depressed time by keeping her hands busy in the engine room. Mal, Jayne, and Wash entered the dive next door to the doctor's office. It wasn't much to gloat about as it looked typical for a tavern Mal and his crew had been used to. Mal had divvied up the money they very much earned from the firearm heist and it was no surprise that Jayne ordered a shot of whiskey. It was a surprise when Wash ordered a bottle of whiskey. Ever since he hired Wash, he had never seen him drink more than a few drinks at one sitting. Then again, he may have never seen Wash this worried either. It was very unlike Wash to be in this sort of funk. Mal ordered himself food and drink and not once did Wash speak. After he was finished, Mal decided it was time enough to join his pilot.

As he pulled a chair out to sit down at the same table as Wash, he saw that he was almost a third way down in the whiskey bottle. Mal said nothing and grabbed the bottle, downed his own drink quick, and poured himself a portion of the bourbon.

"'Spectin' you'd be ok," Mal asked carefully stated.

"Oh, yes. Hunky dorey," Wash replied sluggishly.

Seeing that his pilot wasn't going to elaborate, he turned his eyes to Jayne who was talking to a rather unattractive, but well built woman. Mal shook his head slightly in wonderment. Leave it to Jayne to not notice looks on a woman above the neck.

"Seems Jayne is settin' up a partner for the night," Mal remarked.

"At least she won't be given the chance to die in the next few hours."

"See, that's the funny thing about the future. You never know what plans it has in store for us. Could be that woman will walk out of here, with or without Jayne, and get herself run over by a hover taxi. And that'd make your previous statement a mite false."

Wash still stayed silent as he emptied his current glass of whiskey then poured another.

Mal decided his next course of action would be to be blunt. "She's gonna be fine, Wash."

"How do you know?"

Mal shrugged and answered, "Doc seems pretty smart and he sure as hell ain't nothing like any of the panicky doctors I've encountered before. He seems methodic-like and takes his time, which is a good thing."

"I suppose. I don't have much experience with doctors. Even where I grew up I hadn't much use for them. All the pollution on that planet and I become immune to it." He paused before he added, "It's just...I haven't seen Zoe that helpless before."

"Oh, I have," Mal countered. "Plenty of times in the war she was injured. Worse than this even."

"Well, I'm just not used to any of this."

Mal leaned in closer to him so their eyes met and he lowered his voice to just a level above a whisper. "You'd better get used to this. Our line of work ain't the light and comfy type. It's dangerous. Risky. Best you shoulda' known that before Zoe said 'yes'. She knows the risks, and since you're gonna' be a part of her and this life all officially come Saturday, you should as well."

Wash seemed to take what Mal considered advice well. Without words, Wash downed the last of his current whiskey and poured yet another. He then calmly asked, "Have you ever truly been in love, Mal?"

All the time Wash had known his Captain, he had never seen him taken back by any question. Until now. Mal answered anyway, "I've had my share of women."

Wash chuckled and corrected, "That's not what I asked."

"Oh, you're talking about those long term commitments with one woman. Those kind I haven't had the privilege of keeping."

"See, that's the difference between you and I, Mal. You consider love to be a 'long term commitment' and I refer to it as being lucky."

"I wouldn't go so far as to saying lucky."

"I would. But, haven't you ever loved someone or even something so much that it defies logic?"

It was Mal's turn to fall silent and reach for another glass of whiskey.

Wash kept on despite his noticing his Captain was growing uncomfortable. "I bet I can tell you what you love."

"You think you know me all that well, Wash? Ain't been quite two years since you've been my pilot."

"It was enough time for me to get to know Zoe."

"I ain't Zoe. You just keep your speculatin' about me to your self."

"Mal, you can't hide your emotions forever. I can see them."

"See what?"

Wash took a breath and said, "I see how you look at her."

Without a beat, Mal took to a look of frustration and snapped, "Inara is just a business partner!"

Wash smiled and softly replied, "That may be, Mal, but I wasn't talking of Inara. I was referring to _Serenity_." He saw Mal's eyes go a little wider but still continued. "I see the way you look at that ship either from the inside or when we leave it. That look is pure love, Mal, whether you know it or not. It's not writ anywhere that you have to love a person. You can love an idea, a belief, or a thing. With Jayne, it's _Vera_."

Mal wrinkled his brow and questioned, "_Vera_?"

Wash shook his head and quipped, "You don't wanna know. But, with you it's an Aught 3 Firefly. I saw a few of them at the flight academy and had the chance to fly one before I flew _Serenity_. They're not the fastest ships or the prettiest. But, once I was in the sky in one, they are the most...majestic. They're very simple to fly 'cause they more or less glide in the air or the black. So, I can understand your love in her."

When Mal still gave no reply, Wash stated, "That love you have for _Serenity_, Mal, is the same love I have for Zoe. Imagine if _Serenity_ were broke down and injured someday, which I'm sure is bound to happen, and you're helpless to save her. Then, and only then can you understand what I'm going through now."

Suddenly, a soothing voice could be heard nearby. "Very well said, son."

Mal and Wash looked beside them and saw the langley figure of the doctor standing stoically. Wash immediately erupted and cried, "Doctor! You're back early. A little too early."

The doctor raised his hands to hold Wash off and explained, "Easy now, son. Your lady is all right. It wasn't as bad as we anticipated. I dug in and retrieved the bullet and got her now on some sedatives and she's doing fine. Fiona's with her now finishing up."

Mal put in, "Any internal damage?"

"Well, some. But, you were right in saying it was near the spleen. Damn thing hardly has any use 'cept to be bad when punctured. I got the internal bleeding stopped and she's all bandaged now."

"Can I see her?" Wash breathlessly asked.

"She's still unconscious."

"Doesn't matter," Wash replied.

The doc smiled and said, "Go to her, son."

Wash didn't have to be told twice. He exited Carson's Tavern in no time flat.

Which left Mal and the doc alone among the other patrons of the tavern.

The doc spoke to request, "You mind if I join ya?"

"By all means, being that you saved a member of my crew. You drink?"

His answer came while watching the doc pour a hearty portion of whisky into Wash's empty glass and then downed it all within seconds.

Mal stated, "Well...I guess you can." Then Mal felt embarrassed. "I'm so sorry, I haven't officially introduced you to my crew."

"Oh, you had no time. You had mighty larger things in mind when you came into my office to worry about names.

"Well, my name is Malcolm Reynolds."

"Doc Randall Flynn, at your service."

"Pleasure. The groom-to-be is Wash, he's our pilot. The other lady you saw before was Kalyee, our engineer."

"Engineer. I'm impressed."

"And Jayne is..." Mal looked to the bar and no Jayne. "...probably in some woman's bed by now."

Doc Flynn chuckled. "More than like he met Hattie. Ain't no gent of age in Arcadia who hasn't had that woman." The doc paused to fill another glass of whiskey but not as big and he reverted to sipping this time. "You look like a fine crew."

"Uh huh. How much had you heard Wash before?"

Doc laughed this time and it was a belly laugh that seemed to exude joy to all around him. He stopped and answered simply, "I heard enough. Your pilot seems to have you pegged."

"There's more to me than what's on the surface."

"I'm sure, I'm sure. I would like to amend more to what Wash was saying, if you'll permit me."

"I'm listening."

Doc leaned closer and said, "What he said about loving a thing is ok in it's own right. But...the heart needs warmth and tender care. No ship can give you that." He paused as Mal simmered on that a bit and proceeded to reveal, "Aggie, my wife, will be gone ten years come this fall. We had a time together. We lived on Ariel and boy did we define the word 'live'. She saw the war with the Alliance and the Independents coming a mile away. We planned on leaving Ariel because of it, but Aggie took sick and she didn't last two years." He stopped for a spell and it looked to Mal that there was a hint of tear in the Doc's eyes.

Mal took that time to say, "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be, son. It's been long ago. But, every once in a while, when I see things going on around here, sad or comical, I catch myself thinking, what would Aggie say to that?" He paused again and said, "Now, our wedding was one of the grandest on Ariel, and I 'spect it still is."

A sudden thought came to Mal when Doc mentioned wedding. He looked up at him and cautiously asked, "Zoe won't make hers on Saturday, will she?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to mention to you first. She won't take to traveling anytime soon in the shape she's in. I figure a few weeks of ease will do. So, yes, that will make her wedding attendance a bit difficult."

"_Shun-sheng duh gao-wahn_. She nor Wash will take to that news kindly. Which, I'm thinking is why you told me first."

"Can't get much by you. Which is why I propose to you, so to speak, a proposal."

"Really? What kind would that be?"

"The matrimonial kind."

"You have a preacher in mind?"

"Why yes." He swigged the last of the whiskey in his glass and stated, "Me."


	3. Chapter 3: Alternate Plans

**Chapter Three: Alternate Plans**

As it turned out, Doc Randall Flynn had been at one long time ago, _Shepherd_ Randal Flynn in his young adulthood. He had surrendered to passion and love when he met his beloved Aggie and he thereafter left the clergy. Due to the war starting to break out about a decade after, and the Alliance not putting it on their priority list, his Shepherd license was never revoked. Doc had been performing double duty as doctor and marrying folks in Arcadia nigh on twenty years. Doc had always had the medical capabilities even while he was a Shepherd, but he didn't make it all official to have people call him "doctor" until after he married Aggie.

That night, him and Mal agreed to let Wash and Zoe mull it over to have Doc marry them on Saturday instead of transporting Zoe early and risk more injury. Mal had no problem in telling his immediate crew about the proposed change in wedding plans. The original plan was to have the wedding on Beaumonde with catered food and drink after and with extravagant decoration. All planned, ordered, and payed for by Inara Sera. Now, with Zoe's injury, those plans would have to be squashed. And Mal would have to inform the Companion. That was one talk, or more fair to say confrontation, that Mal was not looking forward to.

After Mal left the Doc for the evening, he went to Wash whom he found by Zoe's side holding her motionless hand. Wash heard the proposal silently and he agreed, but he also felt he should wait until he could discuss it with his bride first. After all, it was her wedding as well. Wash thought it wouldn't matter when it takes place, just that it does. But, he admitted Zoe deserves a decision too. Mal thought that fair and then he left Wash in Zoe's presence for the night. Jayne was still nowhere to be found, but Mal had surmised that Jayne wouldn't be shedding any tears over the change in venue. The only thing Jayne had been looking forward to was the free food and drink. Letting sleeping Jayne lie in bed with his newly found endowed woman, Mal didn't even begin to look for him. He then headed back to _Serenity_ to see Kaylee.

As Mal approached the ship, Wash's words earlier echoed as he gazed at the outline of the Firefly against the fading light of the horizon. Mal walked up on the main ramp keeping to the extreme left and reaching out with his fingers to lightly touch the beginning walls of _Serenity_. He then headed to the engine room where he found his mechanic in the usual jumpsuit stained with grease and working. Her reaction to the news didn't surprise Mal one bit.

"What about Inara? _Kwong-juh duh_, Inara is gonna miss the wedding. What is she gonna do with all that food? All those...strawberries...and cake, too. It's not like we can go fetch her and come back by Saturday. And that shuttle would never make it here. I wonder if I could boost its drive motivators sometime to expand its range. No, it's life support would never–."

"Kaylee! Ok. That's all well and known. Doesn't seem we have much of a choice."

"I guess Zoe and Wash don't want to postpone."

"He didn't mention it when I told him of Doc's offer. He wants to get it over with, but also wants to wait till Zoe wakes up to get her opinion."

"Yeah, that's the right thing to do, I guess. Is she all right?"

Mal brought her up to speed on Zoe's condition and afterwards he cherished his mechanic's wide positive smile. It was what he needed right then.

Mal continued, "I'll send a wave to Inara in the morning. It's in the wee morning hours on Beaumonde right now. At least in the morning here it would be late afternoon there." He pretended not to notice the small smirk Kaylee chose right then. She knew her Captain was stalling so he could prepare a conversation with the lovely Companion. Kaylee, like the rest of the crew, also knew Mal would never admit to a verbal stalemate with Inara Sera.

Kaylee went back to working in the engine room and Mal went up to the co-pilot's seat. He chose it not because the right hand seat was Wash's, but because for that night he didn't want to look silly amongst Wash's plastic dinosaurs. Either by accident or by choice, Wash had landed the craft with its bridge window facing into the planet's sunset. Mal sat and watched the horizon swallow the sun's light and overcome the sky with darkness. Mal stared into the stars so he never knew exactly when it was he had surrendered to sleep.

Come morning, Mal got himself up, climbed down to his quarters, and started cleaning himself up. He changed his shirt, washed his face, and brushed his thick mane of brown hair. He had found long ago since he met Inara that the morning hours when he looked scruffy, shirtless, and bed ridden would be an embarrassing time for him to greet her. Once he finished with himself, he started straightening his bunk and its surroundings so to make even the background look presentable. He then faced the cortex in his quarters, breathed deeply, and started the wave to hail Inara in her shuttle.

It didn't take long for the image of Inara's soft facial features and liquid-flowing ebony curled hair to replace the flat dead gray screen. She glanced at her own cortex in the shuttle and once she saw who was alerting her, she went wide eyed. Thus, the conversation masking as confrontation began.

"Mal. I find it amazing that your motor functions can be active this early for you."

Mal countered with the same indignant tone. "Well, I wanted to make sure you were done with all your whoring duties."

She eloquently ignored the cut back at her and asked, "You on your merry way back?"

"Not exact. There...was some...complications."

"Let me guess. Your deal didn't go as planned."

"Oh, the deal was made. What happened after was to be desired for."

"What a shock. So, what's wrong this time?"

"Zoe got herself shot," Mal said as casual as he would if he were asking to pass the table salt.

"What? Oh my god, is she all right?" Inara cried as her facial features turned to looks of worry.

"Yes, she is now. She had surgery yesterday and she's all patched up. But, she's in a healin' stage now."

Inara could connect her own conclusions and cried, "_Tzao gao_, she isn't going to make her wedding on Saturday."

"Well, she won't be able to make it to _Beaumonde_ by Saturday."

"Have they made a decision on what they're going to do?"

"Wash has, but he hasn't talked to Zoe on account of her being still out. I suspect he'll talk to her soon about it. There is a Shepherd here, who also happens to be the Doc who did the patching, and he's willing to wed them if they want."

"And what am I going to do with the preparations here? The food, drink, decor. I even managed to get my hands on an ancient bottle of champagne called _Dom Perignon_."

"You can't freeze it up? Save it for a rainy day?"

"That's not funny, Mal. You know I can only secure these items only on Beaumonde. It's not like we can take any of it with us."

"Best you find a way to take it all back. But...I'd keep the Don Perone."

He watched Inara roll her eyes at him and he wondered what he said wrong this time. She didn't say why and then she seemed to begin to talk to herself. "Ok, the food order can be cancelled. Decor can be taken down. _Gos se_, the reservation on the hall can't be refunded. Guess I'll eat that bill."

"I can provide you with a discount on your rent next month to counter that."

Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "You're such a gentleman, Mal. Now, what about me?"

"What about you?"

"Mal, you know as well as I do that my shuttle would never make it to...wait, where are you...still on Three Rivers?"

"That'd be so. We had to find a doc right quick and we found one in Arcadia."

"Ok, so if your deal went sour wouldn't the authorities be looking for you?"

"I suppose. But, we're safe for now."

Inara chuckled. "The words 'for now' coming from you make me shiver."

"Well, we hadn't much decision on choice. The government's military is looking out in the black for us. They ain't expecting us to be still on the planet. Come Saturday their search should wear off."

"And your inability to foresee the future scares me."

"Ain't foreseeing. Only speculating."

"Oh, so you will be prepared when they attack during the middle of the ceremony."

"Well, they'll just see a ceremony. They won't be figuring the bride and groom are among the very folk they're searching for."

And your fantasy of knowing everything just terrifies me."

Quickly wanting to change the subject, Mal suggested, "We could record the wedding for you."

"And deprive me of my want to see them vow to each other live?"

"I could suggest to them about postponing. But, the Doc wants her inactive for a few weeks. We can't wait too long after that because Badger promised some hefty work then and there won't be much time for scheduling. That's one reason why they picked this Saturday."

Inara was now almost on the verge of tears. "I know that, Mal. Oh, I so wanted to be there." She hung her head to so her hair obscured her face and she said from there in a defeated voice, "But...if they decide to go ahead, I'll understand."

"Wow, you don't wear self pity well, now do you?"

She jerked her head back up to him and snapped, _"Fahng-tzong fung-kwong duh jeh_, that wasn't self pity, Mal! That was regret. With all the things that never go as planned when you're around, it's a wonder why you're not wallowing in it."

"That ain't me that causes uncertainty. That's called 'life'."

"Or maybe it's called fate."

"You make your own brand of fate."

She shook her head and he could tell she didn't want to dive into another philosophical discussion with him. It almost made him feel a bit of that regret she was speaking of. She looked at him through the screen and he could almost feel her wrath at him in that moment. He half expected her to yell at him.

Instead, she simply stated, "Just send me a wave with whatever they decide. I'll cancel everything I can from here."

"All right. I'll send you a wave as soon–." He never got to finishing the sentence as she ended the wave abruptly and he was back staring at the blank but similarly cold screen.

And as almost always with the end of confrontations with Inara, Mal felt drained. He could never put a finger on why it was he and she seemed to never have normal talks.

Mal shook away any ill feelings he compiled during the talk and he climbed up to the kitchen, grabbed one of the exotic bananas Jayne confiscated on a previous heist, and he headed to see Zoe. He finished the fruit as he entered Doc's office and he was sitting at his desk reading a report.

"Malcolm!" Doc announced.

Mal grinned and corrected, "Mal, please. Though, to be honest, I have been titled worse things."

The Doc chuckled and said, "You're just in time. Your second in command is awake. Your mechanic is in there too with the groom. Along with your other member of your crew I didn't get to see last night. Wayne, was it?"

"Jayne. He show up with Hattie?"

"Oh no, son. You may see Hattie through the night but never when the sun is up."

Mal suddenly wondered how that knowledge reached the Doc and then he just as quickly shook it from his thoughts. He nodded and headed to the back medical room.

Already he could hear laughter from Kaylee and Wash's voice. He appeared in the doorway and they spotted him. "Well, look who's laying on the job."

Zoe was awake and seemed in good spirits as she was just finishing a laughing spell too. She smiled at Mal and addressed him. "Thought I'd be more of use in bed. Can we fit one of these in the cockpit?"

"As much as we all get injured it may not be a bad idea," Mal shot back. He looked over at Jayne and asked, "Have fun last night?"

"More that any of you did," Jayne's cocky grin appeared.

"So, how was Hattie?"

Jayne did a double take at Mal and cried, "How'd you know her name?"

"I have ways." He then turned to the rest of his crew. "Y'all up to speed what we're up against?"

It was Zoe who answered, "I'm in no position to make it to Beaumonde."

Direct as always, Mal admired. "Yep. Question is what do you want to do?"

"Don't have much in the way of choice. I say we postpone seeing as it'd be hard to find a Shepherd out here." Immediately, Wash turned red and started to say something but Mal got there first.

"You didn't tell her?"

Wash replied sheepishly, "I didn't get around to it. She only has been awake for barely an hour and then Kaylee and Jayne showed up. I wanted to tell her alone."

Kaylee added, "I felt it wasn't my place to tell."

Jayne stated, "Hey, I don't know anything."

Wash looked relieved and looked to the sky. "He _finally_ admits it."

Zoe had that "inform-me-or-die" look directed at her groom. "Tell me what?"

Mal decided he would have to tell, yet again, of Doc's offer. "Ok, since you are not in the know, thanks to some well informed crew mates, there is a Shepherd here, and he is willing to facilitate your wedding. Here, in Arcadia. This Saturday. Same day, same time, different place."

"Who's the Shepherd?" Zoe asked.

Mal pointed a thumb and directed it behind him. "Your Doctor himself. He was a Shepherd once upon one time and the Alliance never got around to taking the title away from him when he quit."

Jayne looked confused. "You mean...he's a doctor..._and_ a Shepherd?"

"Looks like."

Jayne smiled and quipped, "So, when Wash here faints at the altar the Doc can heal him right there and then too."

Wash countered, "Hey, we'll see who's fainting." He then turned to face his bride-to-be and stated, "What do you want to do, hun?"

Zoe looked at Wash, then back at Mal, "But...Inara. What is she going to do with all the things she prepared?"

"That was my question," Kaylee added.

Mal supplied the answer. "I spoke with Inara just moments ago. She's gonna take back what she can. She only has to cancel the food order." He heard a sad grunt from Jayne and a small whimper from Kaylee. Mal focused on the couple. "She doesn't like the situation any more than we do, but she said she will support your decision."

Wash added, "So will I. Even though I would like nothing more to be your husband, I really don't care where it happens. I'm sorry Inara can't be here, though."

Kaylee nearly jumped with an idea. "I know, I know! We can set up a portable wave so she can see it for real."

Mal thought it over and said, "A wave that will last as long as that? Hell, the Three River's government would be the least of our problems. Alliance would snatch that up in a heartbeat. We've got security measures in _Serenity_ for long waves but not for something they'd cook up around here."

Kaylee kept on. "Well...let's have the wedding on _Serenity_."

The idea was astoundingly accepted from the look of glee on all, but Jayne's, faces.

"Yeah," Wash added, "I can hook the feed to the main cortex and I could buffer some transponders to extend the time it goes under the radar. That's excellent, Kaylee."

"And right fitting, too," Zoe reflected. "After all, it was _Serenity_ who brought us together. Why not let her be the place that ties our binds."

"Did I say excellent?" Wash asked. "What I meant to say was perfect."


	4. Chapter 4: Wedding Blister

**Chapter 4 - Wedding Blister**

Upon hearing the _Serenity_ crew's new plans for the wedding, Doc Flynn was overcome with joy. He had insisted on inviting a few of the town folk to attend. Things around Arcadia were depressing enough as it was, and Doc said a wedding would do good to allow cheer back into the town for a spell. Zoe and Wash didn't mind, for even their attendance at the original location of the wedding on Beaumonde was to only include the immediate crew, Inara, and some of her Companion friends.

This event also gave the town a chance to shine on supplying the food for the reception. The food quality wasn't going to be on the same level that Inara was providing, but only Zoe and Wash were the only ones not complaining on that. Kaylee, to no one's surprise volunteered for decoration duty.

"Just so we don't see not a one painted flower," was Mal's only condition to her.

Wash had soon started the set up of a cortex outlet in the hangar of _Serenity_ for a secure extended wave to allow Inara see the festivities live. Since Zoe had been ordered by Doc Flynn to be bedridden at least one day, Wash spent that first day after Zoe awoke finishing the added wave. Zoe, however, still felt helpless and a little guilty that all of this was being rearranged because of her. To assure her that it was not to be faulted by anyone, Wash made sure that on every hour he worked on the wave, he stopped for a break to check on his fiancé.

Jayne showed no interest in helping with anything so he spent the days and nights in the throes of Hattie's passion. Mal let him be but intended to use him the day of to help with chairs for the hangar's conversion into an altar.

After the day of rest, Zoe escaped her bed and began to start walking around ever so slowly. The wound itself mended well, thanks to Doc, but pain was still there and it multiplied when she walked. Doc had offered her a cane to use but she wouldn't hear of it. Wash was present when she took her first steps post surgery, and as soon as she refused the physical support of the cane, Doc turned to Wash and remarked, "Strong-willed, this one. You're gonna have your hands full."

Wash shot back in a heartbeat, "On Saturday night, I certainly do hope so."

After a few hours of practicing to walk with Wash helping her as she went, Zoe got to walking normal again with minimal pain. She then requested that she had to get to her bunk and fetch something. Wash had quickly said he would go with her, but she actually refused for him to join her. She requested Kaylee. Not one to go against his fiancé's insistence despite his confusion, he called for Kaylee. As Kaylee walked with Zoe side by side heading toward _Serenity_, she asked while making sure Wash was well outside of earshot, "Time to try on the wedding dress?"

"That'd be an affirmative."

Sooner than they imagined, the day of the event came. Jayne was, in fact, persuaded to help with getting a tarp up on either side of the hangar to hide supply crates and other things the crew wanted unseen. Kaylee went to work on the decorative tinsel and paper-mache flowers she had made the previous day. The chairs were set up toward the back of the hangar and a small podium was provided by the town folk for the newly titled _Shepherd_ Flynn.

And on that Saturday's mid-afternoon, Zoe and Wash's wedding finally took place albeit an alternate location. The crowd of about twenty townspeople and the crew of _Serenity_, including Inara watching from several planets away, witnessed the beginning of the ritual.

With no other whom Zoe would have, it was Mal who would walk her down the aisle. Mal knew that he was the closest thing to a father she would ever have, regardless of their similar ages. As he strolled her down the aisle, the crowd and Wash were astounded by her dress. It wasn't the usual wide wedding dress with extravagant ribbons and fringe. Instead, it was a single form-fitting and solid white gown that had held a decorative laced look. It was perfect for her tall figure and it also acted as camouflage for her side bandages. She still walked with a slight limp going down the aisle, but it was a mighty wide improvement from two days ago. With all the people present knowing what Zoe had been through in the past few days, they were all surprised at the strength and courage she had shown after her surgery.

All, that is, except Mal.

Mal had known Zoe since before the war when they went through the Independent Army together. Even then she was a no frills, no bullshit type of woman. During the years as a soldier she became more and more loyal to not only Mal, but to any ordering commander in any unit. She did exactly as told without question. She also took loss well, judging from her attitude after the war and witnessing the horrible deaths of her fellow Browncoats. She saw Death as a way of life and she moved on. Even as a member of his own crew, Zoe did what was asked of her even if she was opposed to it. And never once did Zoe ask for anything in return.

That all changed after Mal hired a big shot popular pilot named Hoban.

At first, Zoe didn't take to Wash's loose take on Life from his quirky sense of humor to his choice in Ancient Hawaiian attire. Over the next few years, Wash's attitude seeped into the other crew's psyche, save Jayne. Even Kaylee first took a shine to Wash's fancies, but after seeing whom he was really interested in, she held her relationship to Wash at the brother and sister type. It was soon evident that Wash and Zoe were starting to get serious and Mal started to get frustrated. On several jobs he caught the two of them stealing his thievery time with kissing fits. For the first time, Zoe had displayed hesitancy whenever the crew entered a dangerous situation. Mal had always thought that personal relations on the same crew had no place in the black. It was too easy to be compromised into doing things not normally in character. Yet, despite all of Mal's qualms about Zoe and Wash's growing connection, he allowed it for one simple reason.

His second in command was so deserving. After all the years of her taking from, she finally was given the chance to give back.

As they approached closer to the altar, he saw an uncharacteristic nervous Wash and in his best attire, which was saying something. He looked like a total different person without his usual technicolor shirts on him. They reached the altar as Shepherd Flynn moved from behind the podium and in front of the three of them. Wash had positioned the wave screen perfectly aside to the right so Inara could enjoy a wide view. Inside the image was the Companion at the beginning stages of tearing up.

Mal let go of Zoe's arm to allow Wash to take it, and Mal sat in an empty chair in the front row nearby Kaylee and Jayne. Kaylee was also in the process of tears while Jayne looked like a man who was plotting ways of escaping such events. Mal sat and watched the couple stand side by side and wondered if he had passed the Zoe loyalty torch from himself to her new husband.

Shepherd Flynn started the ritual and Mal listened with great attention. As Mal heard the words the Shepherd was spewing, he found some old sayings of the ancient ritual rather curious.

The crowd was asked that if anyone present objects to the union of these two people, speak now or forever hold their peace. Mal could think of plenty of folk whom they made enemies of in the 'Verse who, if they had been present, wouldn't have no peace to speak of with this union. It suddenly hit Mal that this detour of location may have been for the best. On Beaumonde, there would be enemies abound whom they pissed off in the past. Here on Arcadia, Three Rivers, there were friends. And there was his crew, or as he sometimes referred to them as family. Of course, as enemies go, Mal thought it strange that word of their daring escape from commandos playing with their new toys that his own crew supplied did not reach into Arcadia. Also surprising was the fact that the commando team had not made any appearance here yet. He paid it no mind and focused his attention back to Shepherd's words.

The time for the vows to be shared came and another phrase caught Mal to ponder.

_Till death do you part.._

It got Mal asking himself, what was it that he would be joined with until his own death? He took a quick moment to gaze upward in the hangar of Serenity. He remembered the day when that salesman took him reluctantly into this very same hangar as if it were yesterday. He thought then that this ship could be the answer to his passion for flying in the black. Then the words of the then Doc Flynn came back to him.

_The heart needs warmth and tender care._

Whether he knew by instinct or by purpose, Mal's eyes strayed toward the image on the wave from Beaumonde. Almost feeling the weight of sight, the pair of eyes in the wave flicked back at his own. Hers did not have time to bore themselves into his for too long. Mal's eyes quickly took another path straight ahead to witness the final pronouncement.

It was a total reverse of character in the couple's promise to each other. While Wash's "I do" was said with a grand determination, Zoe's was said with nervous glee. Shepherd had the couple turn towards the witnesses and then proclaimed, "May I pronounce to you, Zoe and Hoban Washburn."

As the cheering began, and Kaylee going mad with joy, Mal could only cringe at his second's new name.

Zoe Washburn.

The reception after was joyous enough since it had been relocated to the outside of _Serenity_. The foods were made up of basic meats and breads. There were vegetables and fruits available but their growth hadn't been much with such dry soil. The wine wasn't too fresh but it held its purpose. The Washburns were appreciative of the towns' gesture nonetheless.

Mal finally waded through the receiving line to congrat the new couple.

He was greeted with a "Thank you, sir." and a bear hug from Zoe.

Mal shot back, "Just so you know, this don't change nothing on the boat. I don't want you to be obeying only your husband's needs."

"Trust me, Mal, her needs for me have so much _not_ to do with you. But, come on, confess. You shed a little tear during the ceremony, didn't you? Yeah, you did."

"Wash," Mal stated plainly, "the both of us could be captured and tortured near death, and that information will never leave my lips."

They spent the next hour or so enjoying the festivities as the congrats spread through the settlement. At one point, Mal watched as Zoe and Wash danced for the first time as husband and wife while the fiddler played on. Jayne took this moment to come up to Mal and he looked anxious.

"You ready to help me take the tarp off?"

Mal eyed him with curiosity. "It can't wait till morning?"

"Eh, I'm kinda bored."

"Hattie not enough for you?"

Jayne gave a look of embarrassment. "She...kinda moved on."

"To another? I'm shocked. And that there lies the difference between Hattie the Whore and Inara the Companion."

"Well, I don't mind as much. I ain't gonna be hitching to one broad anytime soon."

Mal chuckled. "Nor I, my friend. But, there's something to be said about two people so devoted to each other that they're flexible to change. I 'spect the two of them were kinda wishing they had all this back on lovely Beaumonde."

Jayne saw through Mal's martyring ways and assured him. "That deal with them freedom fighters weren't your fault, Mal. How was you to know?"

"You did warn me."

"A lesson for you to trust me more often."

"I suppose. There's another lesson to be learned here."

"What's that?"

"We're never smuggling no more firearms anymore. And sure as _gorram_ hell not ones that we're going to be shot at with later."

"There's plenty more things to haul for the good of coin," Jayne reflected.

"That there is. I'm hoping Badger lives up to more this time."

"That _hwoon dahn_. The danger he puts us in ain't worth the puny coin he gives us. There's one who you really shouldn't trust."

A moment went by silently and Mal said, "There's plenty of time to talk about it later." Mal shot down the last of his wine and cried, "I'm a bit bored too. Let's get that tarp down."

While the rest of the party was winding down, Mal and Jayne took busy into reverting _Serenity's_ innards back into a hangar. They were almost finished when the newlyweds entered. And for the first time, Mal had witnessed not only his pilot but also his second inebriated. Both were giddy as clams and doing double time helping the other up. They greeted Mal with wine-besotted breath.

"Hey, there ole Captain," Wash slurred.

"Hey, he's my Captain, too," Zoe followed.

"He's mine, too"

"No, he's not."

"Yesh, she is"

"OK! Stop!" Mal demanded. "That's about enough of that lest the bad wine in my stomach comes back for a quick exit. It's beginning to get dark. Ain't you two got a honeymoon to start?"

Wash exclaimed, "Ohhhhh, yeah. We have lots o' things planned. We aim to–."

Jayne quickly cut in, "How 'bout we not hear what your planning to aim."

"Ooooh, I do believe that man is jealous," cried Zoe.

"You're calling _that_ a man?" After that remark, the hysterical laughter by the newly crowned Washburns couldn't be stopped.

Kaylee entered the ramp at that moment with a wad of tinsel and paper flowers she made. She saw the couple in hysterics and observed, "Wow. Some people are happy."

"You betcha," this ejected from Wash.

Kaylee looked to Mal. "Effects of the wine?"

Before Mal could reply, Zoe blurted, "Nope, it's wedding bliss."

Jayne grunted, "More like a wedding blister."

Mal looked at the bundle in Kaylee's arms. "You plan on keepin' all of that?"

"It might look good in my bunk."

"Bunk, yes. Engine room...well, let's just say that if I see one piece of tinsel there, it's all going to have a nice feel for zero gravity."

"You can't be serious. It's just harmless decoration."

"I'm all kinds of serious."

Amidst their jesting moods, they had barely noticed the three men in various shapes approaching the end of the ramp. They stood in even spacing effectively blocking the exit. They were standing for a full minute before Mal caught sight of them.

"May I help you gents?" Mal asked.

Wash finally noticed the men and blurted, "Look honey, more people to wish ush well."

"Not quite," said the husky man on the right. He grew a scruffy black beard over many years and wore the same tattered clothing as his comrades. Mal now noticed them not from the wedding but from seeing them about around the town.

"So what did you need?" Mal asked kindly as he reached for his pistol.

The husky man quickly reached behind his back to reveal a sawed off shotgun and he pointed it at Mal. The other three in turn pulled out their pistols and held them pointed at the rest of the crew. "Don't even think about it," said the bigger man.

Mal quickly put his hands up as the rest of the crew were shocked. Only Mal had been equipped with a weapon, much to Jayne's disappointment. A pause of silence came before Wash finally complained at his wife. "See! Not married to you half a day and already I'm at gunpoint."

"Just be glad I'm not the one holding the trigger, my hubby."

"Ohh, but I'm soo in love with danger, my wifey-poo."

Mal took his turn to add, "If those are your new names for each other, _I'm_ gonna shoot you."

"Enough!" yelled the big man.

"Can you at least tell us what this is all about," Mal asked while taking his hands down. He knew he was fast with the gunslingin' but not all three without them starting to fire themselves.

The husky man spoke. "You the folks in that firefight few days ago with our government."

Mal turned blase and said, "Oh, that. Well, big misunderstanding."

"Yeah? What you misunderstand is one of them was my brother. And you kilt him!"

"Oh, well...I am expressin' all sorts of apologizin' for that. You do know they shot first."

"Don't matter. It was my brother you kilt."

"Ain't that a shame," Jayne casually offered.

Mal questioned, "How is it you come to figuring it was us?"

The man waved the gun over to his right and said, "Barty, here overheard you talking 'bout smuggling guns. I searched and found that a crew of five escaped in a decrept Firefly."

Kaylee defended, "She's not decrepit!"

Jayne asked her, "You understood that?"

The man ignored their comment and said, "There's a reward for you all."

Jayne perked up. "Really? How much we fetchin'?"

"What's it to you?"

"Just wanting to know our value, is all."

"A hundred," the blonde in the middle supplied.

"A hundred? For all?" Jayne yelled.

"Suddenly, I don't feel worthy," Wash replied.

His new wife gave him assurance. "You're worth tons more to me, dear."

Wash turned dreamy and looked at Mal. "You hear that? She said _dear_."

The husky man corrected, "A hundred _each_."

Jayne said, "Now I don't feel so bad."

Mal got back to addressing the men and stated, "So now your plan is to turn us all in for your handsome reward."

"You're almost right," said the big man. "We plan to take these others in."

"Great," Wash said, "so much for our honeymoon."

Mal ignored the quip and asked the so called leader, "You're not turning me in?"

"Oh, no. My plans for you is to show you the same respect you gave my brother."

Mal replied calmly, "Oh, well in that case a candlelight dinner beforehand would be nice because we all got _screwed_ over by your brother and his commandos."

"Shut up! My brother ain't done no wrong! You folks is thieves! That's wrong in my book."

Jayne shot back, "Maybe your book needs to be rewrit."

"Shut up! Now, I want the four of you over on this side while I show your Captain the same treatin he showed my brother."

The sound of a gunshot echoed in the hangar and Mal and his crew jumped. Mal looked down at his painless chest and then looked back at their leader. He was sprawled on the metal grating in agony holding his leg. With confusion all around, all present looked for the shooter. Coming up the ramp and holding a small silver ancient pistol was Shepherd Doc Flynn. Seeing who shot their leader, the other two gents took off and fled.

Doc came up to the husky man and bent down to examine the wound he inflicted. He proceeded to say, "Eh, it went straight through. Nothing but a scratch. I can fix you up tonight and you'll be fine in the morning, Rodrick."

"But...my brother!"

Doc scoffed. "You and your brother had been at each others throats since birth. You've never had a loving bone for your brother. You're just mad now because he's dead."

"But, they kilt him."

"Way I heard it, it was self-defense. Your brother knew the stakes at what he was getting into when he volunteered."

"They can't get away with this. They're thieves."

"No son," Doc calmly replied as he looked at Mal, "they're survivors. That takes a mite more courage in this 'Verse than petty thievery."

By this time, a crowd of people appeared at the bottom of the ramp at the reaction to the gunshot. Doc looked into the crowd and focused on a rather attractive teenage girl with the reddest color of hair and he spoke to her. "Fiona, get your brother to help you get Rodrick to my infirmary. Prep him up so I can tend to his wound tonight."

The Doc turned back to Mal and his crew and was about to say something until Mal spoke first. "Kinda powerful gun for a Shepherd."

Jayne added, "And a Doctor,"

Doc Flynn smiled and stated, "Jack of all trades..."

"But master of none," Mal finished.

Wash looked on the scene and asked, "So that's it?"

Doc answered, "Not quite. Rodrick was right. I checked and there is a bounty for your crew. All from our _gorram_ government's goons."

Wash snickered, "Say that ten times fast."

Doc acknowledged the quip with another smile and added, "More than likely, Barty and Jess will bring the governments' attention here and they will be scouring about by morning."

Zoe added in, "Guess there goes my weeks of rest."

Doc quickly assured, "You can still rest easy in the black. Which I'm sure your crew is used to?"

Mal answered for his crew, "That is our ultimate goal."

Doc nodded. "Just so you keep flying, eh?"

"Something like that," Mal answered, noticing the fringe of jealousy in the Doc's face. Mal went on. "Well, the less time for lingering is more time to scatter. We've got things to do before flight time."

Wash chose that time to yell out, "Yes! I'm going to fly!"

Mal stated, "Sobering up my pilot being just one."

Mal took that moment to start delegating duties for pre-flight. The mission he gave to Zoe was to coffee Wash up and let him sleep the effects off for a handful of hours. _Serenity_ had enough problems without a drunk piloting her helm. The crew set off on their duties but Zoe stayed for a bit. She stood in front of Doc Flynn.

"I don't know which to thank you for first. You patching me or marrying me."

Doc smiled wide and replied, "You brought joy back into this town for a spell. I can't think of a better payment. And I wish you both great happiness and luck."

"Could do with a lot of both. Bye, Doc...or Shepherd."

"Randall is fine."

Zoe gave him a small salute and then followed her husband into the kitchen to force down multi pots of strong coffee. After she left, he noticed that Doc had been watching her leave and then let his eyes wander along the insides of the hangar. Mal saw in the elder man's face a strange combination of awe and wonderment with just a dash of regret. Mal was concerned so he finally asked him, "Doc...you okay?"

As if awakened from a pleasant dream, Doc looked back at Mal with a bit of embarrassment. "Sorry. Just a little jealous of you."

"Jealous? Of us?"

"Oh yes." Doc took a pause and stated, "I hope you know what it is you have here."

Mal smiled and replied, "I believe I do." Mal saw through to his hidden wish and then tried to form the question just so to not let Doc know it. "You know, the kind of work we do, there's gonna be plenty more injuries. We could use a Doctor on board."

Doc shot back, "Or a Shepherd for the next wedding."

That took Mal back some at the very thought of any other combination of his crew getting married. "Oh, that'd be a whole batch of Nevers."

Doc laughed and answered, "Yeah, well, if you had asked me fifty years ago I'd be signed up in a heartbeat." He breathed a deep sigh. "But...if I had, I would have never become a Shepherd or a Doctor. And most of all, I would have never met my Aggie. I've had enough adventures for seventy years. You already have your hands full without an old geezer tagging along. No, you need a much younger doctor. There are some genius doctors on Ariel, but I suspect you won't be calling on that area for a doctor."

"I doubt any of those doctors would enjoy a life like ours. Especially the part of not handsomely being paid," Mal added.

Doc nodded and then changed subjects, though one that Mal didn't like to divulge in.

"So, you don't see yourself as the marrying type, eh?"

Mal answered with looking up and all around the hangar, "Some people would say I _am_ already married."

"Yes, but, I saw how you looked at her," said Doc quietly.

"Look, Doc, it's been brought to my attention this week that I'm in love with a ship."

Doc smiled wide and corrected, "I wasn't talking about the ship." Mal's face was all sorts of confused and Doc went on by observing, "That woman on the wave...the one who watched from Beaumonde."

"Inara?"

"Mighty striking woman."

"And just a business partner."

Doc took another long sigh and smirked at Mal while seemingly trying to see through him. He finally suggested, "She doesn't have to be."

Mal found no words to offer back to that remark. Doc was starting to leave but added just before to remind Mal. "Just remember...warmth and tender care. Doc offered his hand to shake and Mal took his in his own hand and Doc said, "Captain Malcolm Reynolds, it has been a pleasure."

"The pleasure was all ours, Doctor and Shepherd Randall Flynn."

The Doc finally turned and walked himself down the ramp of _Serenity_ to tend to yet another injury. Effectively, he left Mal to stew in his own thoughts for a while. Mal's mind was a place he did not like to linger in for long. He then smiled and looked around _Serenity_ with the same affection he showed her on that first day he ever set eyes on her. As he approached the controls to close the ramp, his arm once again stretched out to caress the walls of the Aught 3 Firefly. He flipped the switch to close the ramp and as he watched Doc walk away into the dying sunlight, he had one more pronouncement to make.

"Till death do us part.."

THE END


End file.
